


more than skin can hold

by mimixchi



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kylo takes care of Hux, M/M, Pre-TFA, lush products
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 08:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6559696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimixchi/pseuds/mimixchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>/Title taken from "On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong./</p><p>“Don’t worry, it’s almost ready.”</p><p>“Ren, what’s almost ready?”</p><p>Kylo peeked his head out from the refresher again, blinking at Hux.</p><p>“The bath,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the galaxy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	more than skin can hold

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by hicstrem0's incredible [ art ](http://hicstreme0.tumblr.com/post/141891641223/sonic-showers-just-arent-conducive-to-this-kind#notes). Also, I just really wanted to see Kylo pamper Hux.  
> Now with lovely [ fanart ](http://euridice-h.tumblr.com/post/142984928830/kylo-was-ready-for-him-with-a-large-soft-towel)!

The moment General Hux opened the door to his private quarters, he knew something was wrong.

He walked in slowly, eyeing the room with the utmost scrutiny. Nothing seemed to be out of place, and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was not right. As he walked in further towards the bedroom, he heard what appeared to be the sound of running water coming from the refresher. Hux raised a brow in confusion; he didn’t remember leaving his sink on when he left this morning. He turned on the light to his bedroom and saw that on the end table next to his bed there lay a familiar black helmet.

Ah. Of course.

“What in the hells do you think you’re doing, Ren?”

A mess of dark curls peeked out from the refresher for just a moment. “Oh good, you’re back.”

“You didn’t answer the question,” Hux pointed out, growing impatient.

“Don’t worry, it’s almost ready.”

“Ren, _what’s_ almost ready?”

Kylo peeked his head out from the refresher again, blinking at Hux.

“The bath,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the galaxy.

Hux finally made his way into the refresher and saw that his large black tub was currently almost full with steaming water. Kylo must have added something to it, because it was a dark purple color with specs of glitter and bubbles, looking like a cloudy night sky. He also noted that it smelled sweetly, of something floral. Possibly jasmine, he wasn’t sure.

“Why on earth are you filling a bath in my quarters?” Hux asked, voice laced with irritation.

“Your tub is much bigger than mine,” Kylo stated. “I’ve been meaning to bring that up by the way. Why do your quarters have better accommodations? We’re supposed to be equals.”

Hux rolled his eyes. “This ship wasn’t designed with two co-leaders in mind.”

Kylo humphed, and returned to tending to the bath. It had gotten a little too full while he was distracted by Hux and he quickly shut the water off.

“What a waste of resources,” Hux muttered, turning back to go into his room.

“Where do think you’re going?” Kylo asked, stepping in front of Hux and blocking the doorway.

“I have work to do. I’m not going to just watch you take a bath.” Hux replied.

Kylo smirked down at him, amusement in his eyes. “Hux, you fool, the bath is for both of us.”

Hux felt heat immediately rise to his face. “Wha–No–Absolutely not!” he sputtered.

Kylo crossed his arms and glared down at him. “Why not?”

Hux sputtered more indistinguishable words before calming down enough to speak properly. “Why not?! I am a General, Ren! I don’t have time for such ridiculous things as baths!”

“Hold on,” Ren interrupted. “Are you telling me that you’ve never even used your enormous special general’s tub?” he asked in disbelief.

“Why would I? A sonic shower gets the job done just fine. You get in, you get out. Now, move aside, Ren. I have work to do.” Hux stepped forward, but Kylo stood his ground.

“Come on, Hux, Just this once. You might even enjoy it,” Kylo smirked.

Hux looked away and muttered, “Doubtful.”

Kylo remained where he stood, giving Hux a pointed look until finally Hux sighed and threw his hands in the air.

“Alright. Fine. Because obviously you’re not going to let this go until I give in,” he said.

Kylo grinned devilishly at him and began to help Hux out of his uniform. “I knew you’d come to your senses eventually.”

“Just this once, Ren,” Hux warned. He heard Kylo give a non-committed “Sure, sure” and helped in the process of getting them both undressed.

Kylo put his hand on Hux’s lower back, gently leading him towards the tub. He held out his hand to Hux, offering to help him get in, but Hux got in himself, stubbornly ignoring Kylo’s offer. Kylo rolled his eyes but followed in, situating himself behind Hux. Water overflowed onto the floor as they both lowered their bodies into the tub.

“Move forward a bit,” Kylo said, trying to get into a more comfortable position.

“Ridiculous,” Hux huffed, sliding forward just a tad.

“How’s the temperature?” Kylo asked once he was situated. “Is it to your liking?”

Hux considered it for a moment. It did feel rather nice. The water was heated to the point where it was almost too hot, just how he liked it. Not like he would ever admit that to Kylo, though.

“It’s tolerable,” Hux said, seemingly unimpressed.

“Snob,” Kylo snorted. He reached over to the indent in the wall next to the tub, where there lie an assortment of bottles and soaps. Absolutely none of them Hux had seen before.

“Where in the world did you get those?” Hux asked.

“All sorts of different planets. From when I go on missions,” Kylo explained, grabbing a small bottle with a transparent yellow liquid inside. He set it on the edge of the tub, and proceeded to grab a medium sized silver pitcher that lay on the ground just within reach. “Tilt your head back.”

Hux huffed but did as he was told, and allowed Kylo to pour the warm water onto his head. Once his hair was wet enough, Kylo put the pitcher down and grabbed the bottle from earlier. He poured a copious amount in his large hand and rubbed it into his other. He then reached forward and massaged the shampoo gently into Hux’s hair.

Hux allowed himself to close his eyes, so as not to get soap in them is what he would tell himself. He found that he actually rather enjoyed the feeling of Kylo massaging his head with such care. He noted that this soap smelled like citrus, though not of any particular fruit that he knew of.

“Is this what the fearsome Master of the Knights of Ren spends his credits on? A variety of soaps for his precious hair?” Hux teased.

“Actually,” Kylo replied as he continued to wash Hux’s hair, “I got these especially for you.”

Hux stayed silent, not quite knowing what to say to that.

“Okay, lean your head back again,” Kylo said, reaching for the pitcher. He shielded Hux’s closed eyes with one of his hands as he poured the water onto Hux’s head. He combed his hand through Hux’s hair as he did so, making sure to wash all the soap out. Hux, against his better judgement, made a pleased sound at this.

Next Kylo grabbed a small, round green bar that had a little swirl design on the top. He placed it in the water for a moment, getting it wet, before massaging it into Hux’s hair. This one had a strong fruity smell, along with the scent of cocoa butter. Hux hummed in satisfaction as Kylo continued to massage the conditioner into his scalp before reaching for the silver pitcher once again.

After it was all washed out, Kylo rummaged through the collection of soaps, finally deciding on a beige oval shaped bar with wave-like ridges along the edges. He placed it into the water to get it wet and then began to rub it onto Hux’s shoulders and back. This one smelled of subtle fruits; banana, avocado, and Hux could even detect some hints of lavender. It felt smooth on his skin.

“What’s this?” Hux questioned, turning his head to eye Kylo suspiciously.

“Some sort of body butter, I think.”

“You think?”

“Look,” Kylo sighed, “I got it from some old lady who makes soaps out of her home. She didn’t really have a specific name for all of her products.”

“Well that’s comforting,” Hux drawled.

“Hey, people on the Core Worlds pay a lot of credits for stuff like this,” Kylo said, massaging the bar into Hux’s arms.

“Of course they do,” Hux snorted. “The Core Worlds live a life of luxury while they allow the Outer Rim planets to suffer in squalor and lawlessness–”

“Shh,” Kylo hushed him. “This is supposed to be about you relaxing, not getting worked up over the Republic.”

Hux humphed, looking forward again. “I am completely relaxed.”

“Of course you are,” Kylo said sarcastically, moving onto massaging the bar into Hux’s calves. His back was pressed dangerously close to Hux’s, and the General had to hold back a shiver. “That’s why your muscles are so tense, and why you don’t sleep for more than three hours at a time, because you’re so relaxed, right?”

“Ren, you have absolutely no place to lecture me on being relaxed when I’m getting billed for destroyed consoles every week.”

Kylo let out a short laugh and leaned his head forward to playfully bite Hux’s shoulder. Hux softly moaned at the contact, trying his hardest to not give Kylo the satisfaction. Kylo moved the bar slowly up Hux’s thighs, massaging gentle circles into them. It took all of Hux’s willpower to not let out another embarrassing noise. He gave up on that notion when Kylo began sucking on his neck.

“Just relax, baby,” Kylo whispered in his ear.

Hux moaned in pleased resignation and leaned back into Kylo’s chest. Kylo leaned back as well, resting on the tub and pulling Hux with him. He reach around and continued to massage the bar into Hux’s chest. Once Kylo was finished, he set the bar back with the other soaps and rested his arms in the edges of the tub. He closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying the warmth coming from the water and the body pressed against him.

Hux cupped his hand in the water, picking up some of the bubbles that were starting to disappear.

“Ridiculous,” he muttered.

“You like it, admit it,” Kylo teased.

“Never,” Hux said, glad Kylo couldn’t see his small smile.

Kylo gave a soft kiss to Hux’s damp hair and rested his head against him. They continued to lay like that, neither of them speaking. Hux was so relaxed that he began to drift off.

“Hey,” Kylo said softly, gently nudging him awake. “We should get out.”

Hux wasn’t sure how long they had been in the bath, but if the cold water was anything to go off of, he would guess that it was quite a while. Kylo opened the drain of the tub as Hux leaned forward, allowing Kylo to get out first. This time, he didn’t refuse Kylo’s offer and took his hand, allowing himself to be helped out of the tub. Kylo was ready for him with a large soft towel, and wrapped it around Hux’s body. Kylo wrapped a separate towel around his own waist, then put his hand and Hux’s back and led him out to the bed. He had Hux sit on the edge, then walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of Hux’s and his own briefs.

When Kylo returned to Hux, he set the underwear down on the bed and knelt down in front of him. He reached out and began to rub the towel against Hux’s legs, gently drying him off.  He moved slowly up Hux’s body, taking his time and making sure that he was completely dry. He then helped Hux slide into his briefs, and quickly dried off and got into his own.

Kylo then knelt back down in front of Hux and used the force to retrieve a small black container from the refresher. Opening it, he dipped his long fingers into the white cream and began massaging it into Hux’s calves. It smelled of lavender and rose water, and Hux found that he liked it quite a lot. Kylo gave Hux’s arms the same treatment, massaging the lotion thoroughly into his skin.

When he was finished, he placed the lid back onto the container and urged Hux to lay back onto the bed. He then crawled in next to him, pulling Hux close to his chest and nuzzling his face into Hux’s sweet smelling hair. It was at this moment that Hux realized that Kylo hadn't used a single one of the products on himself.

“What’s gotten into you?” Hux asked, more teasing than suspicious.

“Hm?” Kylo responded, already almost asleep.

“Why are you being so sweet to me?”

“Should I not want to take care of what’s mine?”

“ _Kylo_.”

Kylo sighed and turned Hux to face him.

“You’ve been so stressed lately. I can feel your anxiety on the other side of the ship. You’ve hardly been sleeping or eating lately, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

Hux looked away, embarrassed that Kylo noticed, and also because he seemed to care.

“It’s not that big of a deal. Nothing you need concern yourself with ,” Hux muttered.

Kylo gently grabbed Hux’s chin, urging him to look at him.

“Let me take care of you,” he said softly.

Hux looked into those deep dark eyes and let himself go. He released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and melted into Kylo’s touch. The knowledge that Kylo wanted to take care of him released something powerful in his chest. He was suddenly overcome with a wide range of emotion. Hux didn’t know how to thank Kylo out loud, so he leaned forward and tried to express his gratitude with a kiss.

Kylo responded immediately, not needing words to understand what Hux was trying to tell him. When they parted, they rested their foreheads together and held each other close. They fell asleep to the syncing of their breath.

**Author's Note:**

> All of these products exist and can be found at Lush.  
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!  
> Come talk kylux fluff with me on [ tumblr ](http://smol-hux.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
